the second month of the year, he made a tour of
inspection eastwards, as far as Mount T'ai (in modern Shantung), where
he presented a burnt offering to God, and sacrificed to the Mountains
and Rivers."

God punishes the wicked and rewards the good.--The Great Yu, who
drained the empire, and came to the throne in B.C. 2205 as first
Emperor of the Hsia dynasty, followed in the lines of his pious
predecessors. But the Emperor K'ung Chia, B.C. 1879-1848, who at first
had treated the Spirits with all due reverence, fell into evil ways,
and was abandoned by God. This was the beginning of the end. In B.C.
1766 T'ang the Completer, founder of the Shang dynasty, set to work to
overthrow Chieh Kuei, the last ruler of the Hsia dynasty. He began by
sacrificing to Almighty God, and asked for a blessing on his
undertaking. And in his subsequent proclamation to the empire, he
spoke of that God as follows: "God has given to every man a
conscience; and if all men acted in accordance with its dictates, they
would not stray